The family of late Bilyaminu Bello has condemned the presidential pardon granted to his wife, Maryam Sanda.
They described her release as a painful betrayal that has reopened deep emotional wounds and crushed faith in justice.
The family of the late Bilyaminu Bello has expressed outrage over the presidential pardon granted to his wife, Maryam Sanda, describing it as a painful betrayal of justice and “the worst kind of injustice any family could experience.”
Sanda, who was sentenced to de@th by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court on January 27, 2020, was found guilty of k!lling her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, at their home in Abuja on November 19, 2017.
Her name appeared among the 175 inmates recently pardoned by President Bola Tinubu under the Prerogative of Mercy initiative, a constitutional policy that allows the president to grant clemency on humanitarian grounds.
In a statement released on Monday, October 13, and signed by Dr. Bello Mohammed on behalf of the family, the Bellos said the decision had reopened old wounds and undone years of emotional recovery.
“To see Maryam Sanda move freely again, as though her crime were insignificant, is an unimaginable injustice that no family should ever have to endure,” the statement said.
The family expressed shock that, despite the severity of the crime and the extensive legal process that upheld her conviction at all judicial levels, the federal government still chose to free her.
They recalled that the Court of Appeal upheld Sanda’s de@th sentence on December 4, 2020, while the Supreme Court reaffirmed it on October 27, 2023 a ruling that gave the family a sense of closure after years of emotional and legal struggle.
“The judgment brought a measure of peace after enduring the pain of our loss,” the statement continued. “Even though she showed no sign of remorse, we accepted the court’s decision and tried to move on, trusting that justice had been served.”
The family added that the recent clemency has cruelly reopened their pain and eroded their confidence in Nigeria’s justice system.
“This decision, coming only a few years after such a horrific crime, has deeply wounded us again and shattered what little faith we had left in justice,” the statement concluded.
